1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to a mounting arrangement for a handle of a refrigerator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional handle arrangements for refrigerators are formed from multiple pieces, including a handle frame and a handle piece having a gripping portion. Such a handle is typically mounted to a refrigerator cabinet utilizing screws which extend through the handle piece and frame, clamping the overall handle to a panel of the refrigerator cabinet. Once the handle is in place, a cover is inserted over the screw, with the cover extending only over the area of the screws or along substantially the entire length of the handle. In general, this known handle mounting arrangement is rather labor intensive to assemble and often results in witness lines that take away from the overall aesthetics of the refrigerator.
In certain situations, it is desirable to mount a refrigerator handle to a side edge of a refrigerator door, such as the handle described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,597. The handle in the '597 patent has metal inserts integrally molded into handle ends to reinforce the handle. The handle ends include a first portion that abuts a front surface of the door and a second portion that abuts the side edge of the door. Mechanical fasteners extend through the second portion for attaching the handle to the door. Since the handle is molded with metal inserts that essentially wrap around the side edge of the door, the use of the handle is limited to a side mounting arrangement.
Regardless of the existence of various types of refrigerator handle arrangements and mounting systems therefor, there still exists a need in the art for a universal refrigerator handle that is capable of being mounted to either the front surface or side edge of a refrigerator door. Such a universal handle would provide significant cost savings because a single process would be used to make the handle. Additional parts necessary to mount the handle to the front surface or side edge of the refrigerator door can be easily fastened to the handle during assembly of the refrigerator.